Shloka 49
Narmadā–Tīrtha-Māhātmya: Sequence of Sacred Fords and Their Fruits
अग्निप्रवेशं यः कुर्यात् सोमतीर्थे नराधिप / जले चानशनं वापि नासौ मर्त्यो ऽभिजायते
agnipraveśaṃ yaḥ kuryāt somatīrthe narādhipa / jale cānaśanaṃ vāpi nāsau martyo 'bhijāyate
O Herrscher der Menschen, wer in Somatīrtha ins Feuer eingeht—oder auch im Wasser dort Anāśana, Fasten bis zum Tod, auf sich nimmt—wird nicht wieder als Sterblicher geboren.
Traditional narrator (Purāṇic discourse) describing the tirtha-mahātmya to the royal interlocutor (narādhipa).
Primary Rasa: vira
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It implies liberation from repeated mortal birth (saṃsāra) as the highest aim; the verse frames mokṣa as transcending “martya” status, aligning with Purāṇic teaching that release is the culmination of dharma and sacred merit.
No internal yogic technique is taught directly; instead, it emphasizes tīrtha-sevā and extreme vow-practices (agnipraveśa, anaśana/prāyopaveśa) as karmic-dharmic means believed to culminate in liberation within the tīrtha-māhātmya framework.
It does not name Śiva or Viṣṇu explicitly; it reflects the Kurma Purāṇa’s broader synthesis by presenting liberation as accessible through dharma-centered sacred geography (tīrthas), a shared Shaiva–Vaishnava Purāṇic idiom rather than sectarian exclusivity.